Still, he said, the increasing rate of cCTAs performed by radiologists represents a growing opportunity for collaboration in cardiac imaging. Recently at Thomas Jefferson, cardiologists have shown interest in reading cCTA exams side-by-side with radiologists to enhance patient care.
“Coronary CTA is a useful screening tool for coronary artery disease that obviates the need for invasive coronary angiography,” Dr. Reeves said. “I think the future is looking favorably on it.”
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Rates of cardiac PET (cPET) in cardiologist offices increased by 193% over the 10-year period, but cardiac PET performed by radiologists in offices and hospital outpatient departments saw little change. The increase in in-office cPET is likely due to a combination of technological advances, interpretation familiarity and financial incentives, according to Dr. Reeves.
Dr. Reeves plans to continue following the trends to study the impact of regulatory, economic and other factors on imaging utilization.
“Ultimately, we as radiologists need to be self-regulators and also do the research to support change, to help the specialty and help medical practices overall in the future,” he said.
The research is also a way of honoring the legacy of Dr. Reeves’ mentor, David Levin, M.D., professor and chairman emeritus at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Levin, a former fighter pilot who became a leading researcher in imaging utilization trends and founded CRUISE, died in 2020.
“Cardiac Imaging Trends from 2010 to 2019 in the Medicare Population.” Collaborating with Dr. Reeves were Ethan J. Halpern, M.D., and Vijay M. Rao, M.D., FACR.
Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging is edited by Suhny Abbara, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc.
About RSNA
RSNA is an association of radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.
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